(Steve Helber/AP)Rep. Thomas Garrett (R-Va.) repeatedly asked his staff to run his personal errands, from buying cigarettes and carrying groceries to helping his children apply to schools, in violation of House rules, the House Ethics Committee said Wednesday in a lengthy report. In its 47-page report, the panel’s nonpartisan staff suggested that Garrett and his wife, Flanna Garrett, were dragging their feet during the investigation in an effort to avoid censure. House Ethics Committee staff interviewed 11 witnesses, reviewed 1,500 pages of documents and authorized four subpoenas in the course of their investigation, the panel said. The new report goes into greater detail than a separate report last month by the Office of Congressional Ethics. The House Ethics Committee said it was concerned that other lawmakers may share Garrett’s confusion and that it was publishing its report in an effort to provide guidance to the broader House community.

Source: Washington Post January 03, 2019 01:48 UTC